Aircraft pilots us information about local terrain or man-made obstacles during flight. Current vertical situation displays provide some of the needed information in a profile view. The profile view generally has a frame including a vertical axis showing altitude and a horizontal axis which may show distance along track. An aircraft icon is typically located near the vertical axis and a line representing a vertical flight profile of the aircraft is extended from the aircraft icon. Two such vertical flight profile views of the aircraft are known: a current-track profile and a planned-track profile.
FIG. 1 shows a diagram of a prior art vertical situation display (VSD) 351 that is configured to produce one of the current-track profile and the planned-track profile and a related lateral situation display 353 is shown in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, VSD 351 includes a profile view frame 290 having a vertical axis 222 and/or a horizontal axis 232. Axis 222 and 232 may be graduated and scaled for altitude and distance, respectively. Aircraft icon 208 conventionally remains horizontally stationary but may tilt to show an assent or descent. The current track profile 212, which is a projection of the current flight path 213 onto a vertical plane, is shown in relation to obstacles 312 and 304, which may be buildings, terrain features, or even restricted flight zones within a swath 320 of the current flight path 213 of the aircraft as shown in FIG. 2. Obstacles need not impinge upon the current track profile 212 to be shown on the VSD 351. The width of the swath 320 may vary according to flight safety rules, depending upon the airspace in which aircraft is flying.
Lateral display 353 shows the current flight path 213, also referred to as the current track, which is a view of the flight path of the aircraft in a horizontal plane. The aircraft is represented by icon 208 and the related swath 320 containing vertical obstacles 312 and 304. Lateral display 353 also shows a planned track 214 related to a flight plan of the aircraft. The planned track 214 has multiple waypoints 316-318, which may be points at which the aircraft turns. The planned track 214 has vertical obstacles 306 and 308. Even when the pilot desires to turn the aircraft represented by icon 208 from the current track 213 onto the planned track 214, the vertical obstacles 306 and 308 in the planned track 214 are not displayed on the VSD 351 in a current track view. VSD 351 only presents the vertical obstacles 304 and 312 in the current track 213 as shown in FIG. 1.
Conversely, if a pilot selects a planned track view as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, vertical obstacles 304 and 312 in the current track 213 are not displayed on the VSD 451, and the VSD 451 only presents the vertical obstacles 306 and 308 in the planned track.
Having only one type of vertical situation display at a time involves efforts of the pilot in assimilating information related to the current track view and the planned track view. However, as displays have continued to advance in sophistication and have achieved increasingly higher levels of information, methods and apparatus are sought to reduce the efforts of the pilot in assimilating aircraft information, including the vertical situation of the aircraft. Accordingly, methods and apparatus are sought to reduce the effort associated with assimilating separate and independent presentations of the current track and the planned track in the VSD.
Accordingly, it is desirable to condense and simplify displayed vertical situation information. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.